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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Competition is molten on the graphics front, Nvidia and AMD - having unveiled next-generation graphics processors at one and the same time. While AMD has unveiled its Gen-Next stream processor FireStream 9250, Nvidia has also introduced its GeForce GTX 200 series graphics processor units (GPUs) comprising the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 GPUs.

The GTX 200 series aims to take graphics and gaming beyond anything that's been possible on a consumer computing platform. Equipped to do twice the work that other GPUs are capable of, the GTX 200 series is touted to be the most advanced GPU ever built.

As PC applications become increasingly visual, many ordinary tasks will benefit from the graphics horsepower provided by this new GPU. These tasks range from editing photos to encoding/playing high-definition videos, even getting driving directions off the Internet to running a new operating system like Windows Vista. A simple task like converting a home video to upload on video-sharing sites or download on to media players will be executed 18 times faster by the GTX 200, claims Nvidia. So, a transcoding process that a normal CPU needs over five hours to execute will take the GTX 200 a mere 35 minutes, according to Nvidia.Now Thats what I call impressive power!

As NASA scientists search for water on Mars with the Phoenix Mars Lander, astronomers are finding Earth-like planets orbiting around other suns. Yesterday they found three planets they called “super-Earths” orbiting a star that’s 42 lights years away from us. They found the planets by using clever tech – they can’t see the planets themselves, but measure the affect they have on a star, making it wobble as they orbit.

Using a new Chilean telescope system of planet discovery called HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher), the astronomers say they can now detect planets as small as two times Earth’s mass. The three planets found yesterday are 4.2, 6.7, and 9.4 times the Earth’s mass, and all three of them orbit their sun in less than 20 days.

This is huge, especially considering that most all the other 270 planets detected around other stars using other methods are Jupiter-like gaseous planets. Another promising fact: One-third of the stars the scientists have studied using the HARPS system of spectrographic instruments have planets orbiting around them that resemble super-Earths or Neptune-like planets. It looks very possible that we are not alone.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Sanyo Xacti HD1010 offers the HD recording in 1080i. It has the face detection feature which can detect up to 12 people at once. This camcorder comes with a 300fps slow-motion video mode, a 10x optical zoom lens, image stabilization, a 2.7 LCD and capable of shooting a 4.0-megapixel still image. The video can be saved on a SD or SDHC cards.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Over the years I've seen plenty of ultra cool rides that manage to combine green living with high performance by going electric. The problem is that America's love of the open road doesn't jibe well with the 200-250 mile range of most electric cars, so hybrids are a good way to stay green without putting you on the short leash.

This upcoming model from Hybrid Technologies is slated to be available within a couple of years with a choice of two different drivetrains. An all electric version with a 150-170 mile range, and a gasoline-electric hybrid that aims to capture the Automotive X Prize by managing at least 220 mpg.